On November 16, 2016 it was announced that Tyson would be one of the 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.[6]

Early life

Tyson was born and raised in Harlem, the daughter of Frederica, a domestic, and William Tyson,[1] who worked as a carpenter, painter, and at any other jobs he could find. Her parents were immigrants from Nevis in the West Indies.[7][8][9] Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919.[10]

↑ The U.S. naturalization petition of William Augustine Tyson, father of Cecily Tyson, shows her birth date as December 18, 1924. New sources (including , , , , , , , , , and ) all indicate that she was born in 1924, although some references cited December 19 as the day of her birth while most cited 1933 as her birth year.